Nexus

The Wizengamont

Percy's head snaps to stare at McGonagall as they hurry through the castle, walking hastily. Anger—no, rage—wells up inside of him suddenly, turning his ears red. "Are you serious?" He snarls. Adrenaline begins to pump through his veins, and Percy's demeanor bounces from exhausted and weak to energized and dangerous within seconds.

"Yes, Jackson. So whatever power I saw during the battle had best make an appearance again. I don't care if you are ill or dying, you will work with me to ensure my students do not go to Azkaban."

They rounded the corner towards the Great Hall. Since it was later in the afternoon, there weren't many students near the front of the building. There were some walking by on their way to classes, however, and there were enough to spread the rumors.

Percy and McGonagall walk out of the grand doors at the entrance to Hogwarts. Where she is put together, composed, and regal, Percy is her opposite. His clothes and hair are disheveled from his flashback. On anyone else it would look unprofessional, but with who Percy is and the anger gleaming in his eyes, it only serves to make him look even more dangerous. Perhaps even unhinged.

Fred would have probably made a joke about—he had always teased Percy about his supposed bad boy appeal.

Gods, Fred.

Percy's throat chokes up as grief overwhelms him. It is heartbreaking, consuming, and he cannot breathe for a second.

No, no. Shut it down. Repress it. Shut it off.

Percy clenches his fist, shuts off his emotions, and continues walking towards the Ministry officials with a renewed, lethal anger.

Kingsley Shacklebolt is walking towards the castle with a tense expression from where he and the other Ministry officials beside him have apparated. That is another thing they cannot ever know--that Percy can apparate anywhere in Hogwarts.

Percy recognizes some of them. Next to Kingsley is Amelia Bones, his Senior Undersecretary. Beside her are Griselda Marchbanks, Rufus Fudge, a bald man that Percy does not know, and Alan Scrimegour.

Percy isn't an idiot. He knows that Griselda Marchbanks is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He knows that Scrimegour is the Head of the Hogwarts School Governors. This isn't just any group from the Ministry.

These are the leaders of the Wizengamont, the highest court of law in the Wizarding World.

"Minerva, Jackson," Kingsley greets professionally, nodding his head at the two previous Order members. Despite—and especially because of—their history of companion of, Kingsley has to remain aloof and unconnected with them. Percy wonders if perhaps that is a silent message in the Minister's eyes. The Wizengamont has got him cornered somehow, and he knows it.

"Headmistress McGonagall and Deputy Jackson," Kingsley introduces. "And this is Senior Undersecretary Bones, Mrs. Griselda Marchbanks from Magical Law Enforcement, Mr. Griswald Ogden, Mr. Rufus Fudge, and Hogwarts Governor Alan Scrimegour."

Percy knows Amelia Bones, Marchbanks, and Scrimegour from when he was settling in as Deputy Headmaster. But he nods at them all. And does not show pleasantries.

"Let's go up to my office," Minerva suggests in a tone that does not leave room for refusal. The six Ministry officials follow her as she turns on her heel and marches back into the castle, Percy shoulder-to-shoulder with her. His senses are hyper-aware, and he is ready to fight all six Wizengamont leaders to protect his students.

The walk up to the Headmistress's quarters are extremely tense. Percy does not think he has ever had a more silently aggressive stroll before. The Ministry members seem ready to drag him away to Azkaban without the pleasantries, but Wizarding Law requires them to be civil about this. Percy analyzes the situation, using his critical thinking honed in battle to assess his options. Percy has three advantages here: he is Harry Potter's cousin and helped defeat Voldemort, he is a demigod and more powerful than them, and they don't know that Kingsley sent a warning as to why they were here.